Tomorrow at 3:00, two of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL will matchup in the AFC Championship Game. It may well be the last time we see Tom Brady and Peyton Manning play against each other, much less in a game of such importance. I have no idea who will win this game, though I personally prefer Manning. What I do know is that these two men will bring it. Yet someone has to win and the other has to lose. Unfortunately, many fans and talking heads will take the chance after the game to bemoan the fact that either Brady and Belichik have not won a Super Bowl since 2005 or that Manning only has one Super Bowl win to his credit. This is truly unfortunate because those folks will have passed up the opportunity to simply enjoy two great careers that are nearing their end.
My question - when did it come to this? At what point did we determine that in order to be considered truly great as a player or coach, you had to win championships or in this case, multiple championships? Don't get me wrong, the obvious reason you play the games is to win championships. Yet, I am always astounded by folks who don't understand that there are two teams going at it in any game and they both have the goal of winning. Especially at the professional level, where there is such parity, it is incredibly hard to win a championship and it requires not only great talent, not just at one position, but also most of the breaks to go your way.
Trust me when I say I can appreciate what greatness looks like, even in the face of constant defeat. I happen to be a Detroit Lions fan - Billy Sims, Barry Sanders, and Calvin Johnson anyone. No one can say that, at least in the case of Sanders and Johnson, they are not two of the greatest players at their positions of all times. Yet neither one of them has ever been close to winning a Super Bowl. And I can make a list of players in every sport, at both the college and pro levels, who never won a championship. I'll just pick one from the three major pro sports - Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, and Ted Williams. It seems to me that these men are rightfully appreciated for what they accomplished. So why not those who play in this day and age.
I guess, we are truly now in a what have you done for me today society. I will choose to live outside of that philosophy and enjoy what I see today. So for those of you who choose to watch tomorrow's game to determine which quarterback is an abject failure for not carrying his entire team to the Super Bowl, I truly feel bad for you. As for me, I will watch that game and appreciate that I may be watching the two best to ever play quarterback. While that is certainly open for debate, the elite level at which these two have played at for such a long time is not.
In closing this post, I did want to touch base on two things that are much more important than the games we watch, coach, and play. Great news came out this week, as we heard that North Carolina Women's Coach, Sylvia Hatchell's leukemia is in remission. We also heard that Nikki McCray, an Assistant for the South Carolina Women, has breast cancer. I hope everyone will say a prayer for Coach McCray. Knowing what it takes to coach at that level, I guarantee that Coach will battle and I believe pull through this. And I know that my God will listen to our prayers.
As a lifelong Dolphins fan, I constantly hear Marino cannot be one of the best because he didn't win a Super Bowl.
ReplyDeleteThat is absurd to me.
Marino, like Barry Sanders, was a monster at this position. If he was not the best he clearly a top five QB. Likewise is Sanders.
People forget that only one team can win a championship each year. To win especially in the NFL, you need a great all-around team, coaching/game plan and a little luck.
I do not find that players who do not reach the summit as champions due to unfavorable circumstances are any less players.
Sometimes their circumstances dictate their careers.